


Decompress

by ilikebigficsandicannotlie (HairSoCurly)



Category: ER (TV 1994)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:40:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29297526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HairSoCurly/pseuds/ilikebigficsandicannotlie
Summary: An alternative to the "Good Nights" tag in the Write Wrongs series and may end up as more than a one shot.  Romano invites Elizabeth out for drinks to decompress at the end of a bad day.  Having no desire to go out to a bar, she invites him over for drinks instead.
Relationships: Elizabeth Corday/Robert Romano
Kudos: 6





	Decompress

It had been a long and exhausting day; Saturdays at work always were just by their nature. Everyone was stepping up since Anspaugh was taking time off following his son’s death, and the cherry on top was the M and M scheduled for the Morganstern/Benton surgery.

To call it a disaster would have been putting it lightly. Elizabeth had barely been able to look at Peter during it, opting instead to hide her face in her hand out of embarrassment for Peter’s involvement. It was hard to watch, and a small amount of guilt crept into her, knowing that Peter was never meant to be in the O.R. with Morganstern. Elizabeth had expressed her concerns about the Chief of Surgery to Peter, and he had all but brushed her aside, unwilling to acknowledge anything could be amiss with his mentor. An accumulation of three generations of surgical instincts has gone off around the senior surgeon, but without any hard proof that something was wrong, Elizabeth had been ignored. Now her friend was suspended at the hands of his mentor. 

The hits kept coming, though. Allison Beaumont had been brought in. Now a paramedic trainee, she had been caught up in the aftermath of a bombing of all things. Surgery was yet again in Allison’s future, and like the first fateful trip into the O.R., Allison was crashing. Only this time, Romano wasn’t stepping in to save the day. 

“She’s been in asystole for twenty minutes, let’s call it.”

“Another seven of epi.” Elizabeth glanced across the table at Romano, not yet ready to give up on their patient and hoping he would back her.

“She’s already had ten, Lizzie.”

“And we got a response. Seven more.”

“Two atonal beats is not a response.”

“Let’s start an epinephrine drip.”

“Yeah, and why don’t we give her a heart transplant while we’re at it.”

Elizabeth felt her blood run cold at his tone. This was the side of Romano she didn’t like, the side that she seemed to be getting the most of lately. Attempting to revive a patient that she had put so much time and effort into that she had lost nights of sleep over made a dam break in Elizabeth. 

“Why don’t you just stop being such a prick. Get me two units of packed cells.” She didn’t even give Romano a second glance. 

The remainder of the surgery had been tense. They’d barely managed to get Allison through it, and Elizabeth was looking forward to going home to a hot shower and a bottle of wine. It was the best she could hope for, considering she’d signed up for a Sunday shift of all things. A work-a-holic with idle hands was what she was. 

Almost home free and out the door having said her goodbyes to the paramedics checking on Allison, Elizabeth heard a voice following her down the hall. 

“Lizzie.”

Always Lizzie with Romano, his was not the voice she wanted to hear on her escape to the elevators. Not after their run-in in the O.R. Still in his scrubs, he caught up with her, removing his scrub cap as he spoke. 

“I uh, I just wanted to apologize for the way I spoke during the Beaumont Surgery. I know that she means a lot to you, and I just hope you’ll forgive me.”

An apology had been the last thing she had expected from Romano, but a quick glance in his direction revealed remorse not just in his voice but on his face. 

“Of course, it’s been a crazy day for all of us.” Arriving at the elevator, Elizabeth hit the call button, paying close attention to the elevator in an attempt to not acknowledge Romano. At the moment, he was all that was standing between her and a glass of wine. 

And he just kept talking. 

“I um, I get off in about an hour do you wanna, ah get a drink uh, decompress?”

Finally turning to face him, she sighed. “Look, I’m knackered. Uh, any other day. Okay?” The elevator dinged and then opened. Freedom was awaiting her at the bottom of the ride, and she could taste the Chardonnay. One last quick glance at Romano before stepping in made her halt, though. As hot and cold as things had been running between them lately, there was nothing but sincerity in the offer for a drink and a genuine look of disappointment flashed across his face at her response. The elevator door dinged and started to close without her, and she stuck her hand out to halt it momentarily. 

“I uh, I understand. Look ah-“ Robert had started to speak again, and Elizabeth didn’t know what force had possessed her to stop the elevator to listen and then to interrupt him. 

“Look, I just want food that’s not from a vending machine, Doc Magoo’s, or take out along with a bottle of wine to go with it. I’ve ah got plenty of food, but uh, I’m out of wine, so you can ah, join me if you’d like. As long as you bring a bottle of wine. I just don’t feel up to a pub tonight.” The words came out of her mouth seemingly involuntarily, and Elizabeth was shocked at the sounds her voice was producing. Romano was shocked as well. 

“Oh.” He had perked up instantly, and Elizabeth was vaguely aware of the elevator closing without her. “Yeah, sure. That ah, that’s fine with me. Um, any particular wine you prefer?” Elizabeth hit the elevator call button again. 

“Ah, a cab sav works for me. Ah, do you have my address?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. I um guess give me a call or, um, page me before heading over. I think I’m going to wash away the day with a shower first.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll see you in an hour, hour and a half?”

The elevator opened again, blissfully empty and Elizabeth made her very confused escape, holding the door open long enough to respond with a yes. Leaning back against the wall of the car, she could not imagine what had made her extend the invitation to dinner at her flat of all places. It was true that she was amenable to having drinks with Romano and trying not to actively butt heads with the man, and perhaps she owed him a drink for calling him a prick in the OR, but dinner in her flat was at the extreme end of decompressing. When the elevator opened again, Elizabeth had resigned herself that it was, in fact, too late to cancel on plans that she had initiated, and perhaps things would work out for the best with dinner leaving her and Romano on better footing. And if push came to shove, she could throw him out for a shitty wine choice. Something told her Romano wouldn’t have a shitty wine choice, though. 

Once home Elizabeth rummaged through her fridge, hoping she actually had enough food for two and didn’t know if she should be relieved or exasperated when she found a large porterhouse and plenty of Brussels sprouts. It wouldn’t be the nicest dinner she had ever made, but for something last minute and no day off, it would have to do. With a sigh, Elizabeth looked at the clock and realized she had roughly an hour before Romano would show up, and she desperately wanted a hot shower to wash away the day. Grabbing the lone beer from the counter, Elizabeth headed off to the shower, determined to relax a bit before her company showed up, and she had no desire to be caught answering the door in her dressing gown. 

The hot shower accompanied by a favorite beer had done the trick, and Elizabeth emerged from it feeling human again. A hint of remorse was also present, for it seemed the more she relaxed, the more she regretted calling Romano a prick. While drinks in a pub would have been a good pax, she was no longer grumpy with herself for extending the invitation to dinner and drinks at her flat. Dressed in the most presentable loungewear she owned, Elizabeth headed to the kitchen when her phone rang. It was Romano calling to say he had managed to sneak out a little early and had picked up a bottle or two of red wine. Knowing she had perhaps fifteen minutes tops, Elizabeth started to prep dinner. A long sauté of the Brussels sprouts and some pancetta she found were going smoothly, with a steel pan heating up to sear the steak with Romano finally arrived. 

“Hey, Lizzie.” Standing in her doorway, he held a brown paper bag full of wine. Bless him. 

“Hey, come in.” Moving out of the way, Elizabeth allowed Romano to pass by her and shut the door. He easily found his way to the kitchen and was unpacking the brown bag when she joined him—four bottles of red wine with the label Liberty School. Elizabeth had never had it before, but the fact that he came with four bottles meant she could have kissed him. 

Somehow a simple steak dinner was just what they needed. Elizabeth had passed him the bottle opener, and they’d settled into an easy back and forth that their work relationship had been lacking the past few months, with both Robert and Elizabeth acknowledging they needed to do better by one another. The Beaumont case had been a prime example of their lack of communication driving a wedge between them, with the wedge being driven primarily by their own stubbornness. 

“How’s your study coming along?” They were finishing up dinner, and the conversation was still flowing easily; the topic, however, made Elizabeth sigh.

“Horribly. It pains me to say it, but you were right about the questionability about how I got some of my candidates. It’s obnoxiously hard to get people to consent in the middle of a trauma, and not everyone is open to the idea of it.” Topping off her glass, Elizabeth shook her head. 

“I’m wounded deeply, Elizabeth, that it pains you to acknowledge I’m right about something.” A pouty face and teasing voice accompanied Romano’s statement, but there was a hint of seriousness as well. “I did offer you a way out, though, and you very stubbornly declined. I would have gladly helped you come up with your own study, you know. You didn’t have to go behind my back.” Leaned back in his chair, Robert presented an air of being at ease, for once not on the defensive about work. 

“I’ve always had to. Go behind other surgeons' backs, that is. There was only so much my father was willing to step in and do as to not play favorites.”

“I do remember you changing the names on the board to get better procedures in London. I had hoped you would realize you didn’t need to do that here.”

“Some habits are hard to break.” He was giving her a look that she couldn’t place, and it made Elizabeth uncomfortable. Switching tactics, she smirked, hoping to turn the topic to something a little lighter. “Did I ever tell you about the time I forged my father’s signature to go and do the ESOP training?”

That did the trick. Robert leaned forward as far as he could and rested an elbow on the table, using his hand to prop up his face. “Go on.” The amusement was clear, and Elizabeth continued with her story. They spent the next half hour laughing at the antics Elizabeth had caused in London either through an underhanded manner or sheer stubbornness. Only when the bottle of wine was empty did Elizabeth stand up to clear the table with Robert offering to help. 

With the majority of the dishes dealt with, Robert opened the second bottle of wine and refreshed their glasses, having Elizabeth’s ready as she finished putting things away. 

“Thanks. This is really good wine, by the way.”

“Glad you like it. I didn’t want to get kicked out for bringing something sub-par when I figured that part of the invitation was so you could be lazy and skip the wine store on your way home.” A quick flick of his eyebrow and cock of his head and Elizabeth knew Robert was teasing her, daring her to deny it. She broke the stare with a laugh and took another sip of the wine. 

“Laziness aside,” she laughed, “I am glad for the company. And besides, having you do my wine shopping worked out just as I had hoped. Dinner was a small price to pay for your sommelier and delivery services.” Giving him her best cocky smile, Elizabeth was the picture of smugness, and Robert just shook his head. 

“You know, Lizzie, the price of wine delivery wasn’t just dinner. There was a clause in there about not being so headstrong at work. No more plotting things on your own.” Robert leaned against the kitchen counter as if he were perfectly at home there. Hip against the counter and leaning on his elbow, Robert was clearly enjoying himself, eyes sparkling with mischief. Elizabeth wanted to wipe the smirk off of his face, and the ease at which they had been teasing each other lulled her into a false sense of security. Momentarily forgetting that she was standing across from Rocket Romano, her sponsor, she responded as if he was one of her friends from London. 

“Oh really? You know Robert, you’ve already written me a rather nasty performance review merely two days after I had a building collapse on me. What else are you going to do? Spank me?” 

Elizabeth didn’t know what had possessed her twice in one night to speak without thinking when dealing with Robert Romano. Her only excuse this time was the brief acknowledgment that her subconscious was reminding her it had been quite a while since she’d been shagged properly, and on more than one occasion in London, she had wondered what it would be like to run into the confident American surgeon on a Saturday night. 

Frozen in place, Elizabeth tried to read Romano’s face as a rush of emotions flickered across it. Shock and surprise were easy enough, and they quickly gave way to lust and desire as he raked his eyes down her body before they snapped back up to her face. Elizabeth had no idea what Romano saw displayed on her own face and did not have the chance to contemplate it. A moment’s hesitation on his end, and then he pounced on her. 

Closing the gap between them, Robert slid one hand behind her neck and up into the mass of curls and the other around Elizabeth’s waist, guiding her to him. The warmth of Robert’s lips upon her own was all the encouragement Elizabeth needed, her hands sliding up his chest in response, enjoying the feeling of well-defined muscles beneath them. It took only a few moments for Robert to gain the confidence to slide his hand down from Elizabeth’s waist to firmly cup her ass, pressing his hips against her in the process; his hard erection making it very clear how he wanted her. Pinning her between his cock and the counter, Robert moved his mouth along her jawline, sucking and licking the delicate skin until he found the spot where jaw met neck, causing Elizabeth to tilt her head back and moan his name. 

Grasping his suspenders to herself steady, Elizabeth felt hot desire beginning to take over as the hand Robert had entwined in her hair pulled her head back further, allowing him better access to her neck and clavicle. As he sucked and nipped at her skin Elizabeth thought she would cream her knickers if he kept it up, the delightful moans Robert was making as he inched his way further down her body were further eroding at her self-control. 

A series of knocks at the door startled them from more enjoyable pursuits, both turning their head to look at the front door. 

“Expecting someone else, Lizzie?” Robert managed through ragged breaths. His eyes were boring a hole into her, and Elizabeth saw only all-consuming desire in them. Desire that she greatly wanted. 

The knocks came again. 

Returning his look with one of her own, Elizabeth snaked her hands up Robert’s chest, letting them come to rest upon the back of his neck. 

“Robert,” it came out silky and low to her ears, and his eyes lit up at the way Elizabeth rolled his name off of her tongue. “The only thing I’m expecting right now is for you to fuck me.” 

Their lips met again, and Robert began to pull Elizabeth out of the kitchen, guiding her away from the hard surfaces of the kitchen and towards softer, more inviting ones. 

“Bed. Now.” was all he managed as she steered him past the sofa and towards the dark hallway, her hands pushing the suspenders from his shoulders in the process. They were barely across the threshold of her room when Robert slid both hands up her body, pulling up the soft sweater she wore with him. Her nimble surgeon's fingers were fast at work undoing the buttons on his shirt when she finally backed into the bed. Elizabeth pulled him down with her, and Robert had just managed the clasp of her bra when her back met the soft duvet. 

On his knees and sat firmly between her legs, Robert shrugged off his shirt, breathing short and erratic as he gazed upon breasts with wanton desire. Leaning down, he took one of her erect nipples in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it, and sucked it; the hint of teeth causing Elizabeth to arch into him. 

“Oh god, Lizzie.” His hand caressed the breast that his mouth was not occupied with, and Robert moaned again as he felt her hand wrap around his head, holding him there. 

“Robert.” Squirming beneath him, Elizabeth could barely say his name as the hotness of his mouth upon her skin took away her ability to form a cohesive thought. “Robert, please.”

Lifting his mouth from her, Robert pulled himself up to her face, trailing a string of light kisses along her jaw and up to her ear and whispered into it. “Please what?” Giving her no time to respond, Robert took the earlobe into his mouth, applying his tongue to the same ministrations that her breast had felt moments ago. 

Voice hitching and nails latching into him, Elizabeth called out “Robert” again. “Please touch me.” Legs came up and around Robert’s hips, and Elizabeth pulled her hips to his, grinding into his throbbing cock. “Touch me. There.” 

An intelligent man, Robert did not need to be told twice. Pulling away from her neck, his hands were at her hips, peeling away the yoga pants to reveal a mass of curls that Robert buried his face into. Half doing two jobs, his hands were freeing her legs from the last article of clothing, and his tongue was licking at her clit, savoring the taste of her and enjoy that she was already wet and slick, ready for his prick. 

As his mouth went to work on her, Elizabeth couldn’t control her hips, bucking into Robert’s mouth in an attempt for him to go deeper, moaning “oh god, Robert” over and over as he slid a finger deep inside of her, stroking and teasing her until he left her quivering on the edge of orgasm. Elizabeth felt her hot walls contracting around his fingers as they slid in and out, and her breath hitched, “Robert, I need your cock.” escaping in between sharp moans. 

Pulling away from her, Robert licked his fingers of her juices, leaning down to capture her mouth with his so she could taste herself on him. With her desperation for him rolling off of her in waves, Robert finally stood up, undoing the button on his trousers and pulling them and his boxers down, at last, freeing his engorged cock to stand erect. 

While Robert had been busy with his trousers, Elizabeth had rolled to the side of the bed to rummage through the end table for the unopened box of condoms, eagerly ripping one from its packaging. Standing at the side of the bed, Robert’s cock quivered as Elizabeth placed the condom on his tip, and her mouth going down on his cock to unroll it. His hand shot behind her head, brushing a stray lock of hair out of the way in the process, and Robert held her there as he thrust his cock into her mouth over and over. 

“Elizabeth.” It was Robert’s turn to be brought to the edge, but no sooner had he cried out her name, and she was pushing away from him. He let out a noise of despair from the loss of her mouth and looked down to find her hands against his hips, holding him at arm's length. 

“Lizzie. I like it when you call me Lizzie.” The look she was giving Robert with one hand on his hip and the other on his cock was enough to bring him back down to the bed. Pushing her back and claiming her mouth as his, Robert sank between her legs, guiding his cock to her wet folds and sinking deep into her with a thrust. Elizabeth’s hips rose to meet his as she cried out in pleasure. Already close to orgasm, she knew it wouldn’t take much to send her over the edge, and the feeling of his large cock stretching her as she tightened around him was ecstasy. 

Robert had given up all efforts of bringing her to orgasm first, the primal urge to take her and claim her driving him to thrust deeper each time. His hands moving of their own accord on Elizabeth’s hips moving her into a better position to take him. She was so tight around him that Robert still hadn’t managed to bury himself in her fully. Pulling out, Robert heard her whimper in frustration, and he grasped her hips, pulling her to the edge of the bed. 

The bed stood high enough off the ground that it afforded him the proper height to stand. Running a hand down one of her legs, Robert brought it up and over his shoulder, leaning down to her and pulling the other leg over his hip. The next thrust was deeper, and Robert sighed in pleasure as he sank fully into her, enjoying the sound of his balls slapping against her in unison with the sound of Elizabeth screaming his name. 

Elizabeth had come undone at this point, grasping the duvet in one hand whilst the other found her clit and proceeded to stroke it fervently. Her orgasm came in powerful waves as the walls of her vagina spasmed around the thick girth of Robert’s cock. Robert responded by tightening his grip on her hips and moaning with pleasure, his thrust becoming more erratic as he followed her to orgasm. 

Panting, Robert stood up unsteady on his feet as he removed the condom and stumbled to the bathroom to clean up. When he returned, Elizabeth was lounging in the middle of the bed, eyes closed with a content smile on her face. Climbing into bed beside her, Robert pulled her to his chest and enjoyed the warmth she put off as she snuggled into him. The silence was comfortable, both being content just to drift off to sleep when Elizabeth turned her head up towards Robert’s, and he leaned in to kiss her. There was a gentleness to it that had replaced the previous frantic, needier kisses, and a soft sigh escaped her mouth. 

“Lizzie, my Lizzie.” It came out in a whisper in between the light kisses Robert was peppering her face with. “You are so incredible.”

“Hmm?” Robert chuckled at her expression, glassy eyes looking back at him questioningly. “My ears are still ringing, and everything’s fuzzy.” She gave by way of explanation. 

“You’re ears are ringing?” Brow furrowed Robert’s voice took on a concerned tone. 

“Mmmm.” Elizabeth wasn’t phased, but seeing his confused looked she made an effort to placate him. “Robert, I came so hard I thought I was going to blackout. I’m still a little fuzzy from it.” She ignored the continued look of confusion he wore and instead went back to kissing him.

“Lizzie is that ah, normal for you.” Elizabeth let at a soft giggle at the concern in his voice and brought her hand up to stroke his cheek. 

“Only when my partner is very good.” Another little content noise escaped her, and she kissed him. “Don’t worry, it’s not some weird medical condition; I can see you thinking that.”

“Oh.” A smug and pleased tone was evident in Robert’s voice, his eyes getting darker as he returned her kisses, moaning into her mouth in the process. “It’s still early, and as enjoyable as it is being curled up with you, I’m not ready to sleep yet and need more time before going again. Any chance you’d be interested in the bottle of wine I opened?”

“That sounds lovely, although I think I’ll have a scotch instead.”

“Ohh, don’t tell me you’ve got a pack of cigarettes around here somewhere.”

She scrunched her face up at him and shook her head. “No cigarettes, but I do have a handful of cigars if you’re interested.”

“Really now. That actually sounds perfect.” Kissing her once more, Robert got up from the bed and grabbed his trousers laughing as Elizabeth huffed and asked, “must you?” as he put them on. With his pants and shirt back on, Elizabeth finally made the effort to get up herself, reaching out to him for a hand. 

“Help me up? I don’t think I’m going to be steady on my feet.” Pulling her up, it was obvious to Robert that she very much was not steady on her feet. Taking advantage of that, Robert pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist, and buried his head into her neck and mass of curls.

“You know Robert; if you want that drink, you’ll have to let me go.”

“I can always carry you.”

“Hmm. That does sound appealing. I think I need my robe first, though.” She kissed him again before pulling away from him, walking off to the closet where she pulled out a gold silk robe and red velvet slippers. Smirking at the look Robert was giving her, Elizabeth glided past him out into the living room, making a beeline towards a cabinet in the corner from which she produced a bottle of single malt, an ashtray, and two cigars. Robert procured two glasses and brought them over, pouring two fingers for each of them while Elizabeth cut and toasted the cigars. 

Once on the couch, Elizabeth curled into Robert's side, and he draped one arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Closing her eyes, Elizabeth relaxed into Robert's side, enjoying the feeling of his strong arm wrapped around her. It had not been the evening she envisioned upon leaving work, but Elizabeth could not deny it was exactly what she had needed. It had been too long since she’d had a good shag and delighted in discovering that all of her frustrations at work were just good old fashion pent up sexual tension.


End file.
